It's Always about Family
by Stone Walker
Summary: What if Kevin had picked Duke over Kelly? What would the deadly consequences be? Just my take of the storyline that should have happened. Definitely AU, as much as I wish it isn't...
1. Chapter 1

Title: It's Always about Family

Summary: What if Kevin had picked Duke over Kelly? What would the deadly consequences be? Just my take of the storyline that should have happened. Definitely AU, as much as I wish it isn't...

By the way, this is my first OLTL fan fiction; so any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

* * *

Chapter One-

-OLTL-

Kevin Buchanan was waiting just outside the Emergency Room with his mother, father, and Dorian Lord. He was pacing back and forth. Terrible thoughts rushed through his mind, and he could not stop. _I can't believe they would do this to me! Oh my god... What if Kelly or Duke dies? What if they both die!_ His thoughts were interrupted when Dr. Spencer Truman came out from the ER.

"Are they OK?" Kevin asked, quickly walking toward Spencer. His parents slowly walked behind him.

Spencer's face looked very grim. It seemed like he didn't want to be the one who gave him such bad news.

"Well, Kevin, they suffered extensive injuries when the roof of the rectory collapsed on them. They're stable for now, but they also need surgery. Unfortunately, I can only operate on one of them. And you're their next of kin-"

"Dr. Truman! Duke's crashing!" shouted Michael McBain as he quickly went back to the ER.

Spencer ran back to the ER, and Kevin went to the door of the ER. In the ER, he saw Spencer shouting out medical language; and then, Spencer grabbed the crash cart and shocked Duke.

"Please come back, Duke!" Kevin shouted out.

The long monotone beep still rang out.

Spencer shocked Duke again.

"Oh no..."

One of the nurses said that she found a pulse, and a relieved look appeared on Truman's face. He left the ER.

"Kevin, I have to operate on one of them right now!"

"Kevin, pick Kelly!" Dorian Lord said, "She's not as strong as Duke is; Duke has a better chance of making it than Kelly does!"

"SHUT UP!" Kevin shouted out, "I can't think! ...Spencer, which of them needs the surgery more?"

"As of right now, Duke does."

"Then, take Duke."

Spencer quickly left.

"Nooooo! Kevin, Kelly needs it!" Dorian cried out. She sobbed as she quickly walked through the ER to sit by Kelly.

Kevin felt tears stinging his eyes; he couldn't catch his breath, so he ran out of the waiting room.

"Oh dear... I can't imagine how hard this must be for Kevin, Clint" Viki said as she rested her left hand on Clint's chest.

"Me neither..." Clint replied.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two-

-OLTL-

"Whew. We're all done. Now, get Kelly Cramer. I'll have to operate on her," Spencer told his staff as he took his surgical outfit off and left the Operating Room.

Kevin saw Spencer come out and quickly walked to him.

"Well, what happened?"

"The surgery went well. Duke is expected to wake up within the next twenty-four hours," Spencer informed Kevin.

"Oh, thank you!"

Kevin followed the nurses as they rolled Duke to his room in the ICU.

* * *

"Oh, Kelly..." Dorian whispered and choked back her sobs as she stroked Kelly's hair, "I wish it was me on that gurney, not you." 

There was a knock on the door. Dorian quickly brushed her tears back and tidied up her outfit.

"Come in."

Blair Cramer slowly came in. Blair noticed Dorian's puffy red eyes and gave her aunt a hug.

"How are you doing?" Blair asked.

"You should be asking Kelly that."

Dorian and Blair looked at Kelly's sleeping form.

"She barely looks like the Kelly we know. The Kelly we knew was so powerful; she wouldn't let anything get in her way, and now this happened," Dorian said.

"I know...but look, she'll bounce right back and act like it never happened."

There was a knock at the door again, and two nurses came in, informing Blair and Dorian that they both needed check on Kelly. So Blair and Dorian left, and when they got out of the ER, they saw someone who will most definitely make Dorian pop a vein on her forehead... Kevin.

-OLTL-

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I know it's short, but I felt that it was a good place to end this chapter. Please review to let me know how I am doing so far. Thank you :) 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- I'm so terribly sorry for the long wait. I went on a vacation and didn't have time to update before I left. So, here's the update...

* * *

Chapter Three

-OLTL-

When Kevin saw Dorian and Blair coming out of Kelly's room, he was about to say something when Dorian beat him.

"Why, you ungrateful lit-"

"Dorian!" Blair interrupted her aunt.

"Okay fine," Dorian sighed, "say what you have to say, and then get out of my sight."

"Dorian, I want to explain why I picked Duke. Duke's my son. If it was Adriana and someone else you love, I know you would pick Adriana. And Spencer said Duke needed it more, so what was I supposed to do? Let him die?"

"I could care less. All you Buchanan men do to Kelly are cause her pain. Well, except for Clint. But that's not the point. The point is that you chose your son over supposedly the love of your life! It's unfortunate that she happens to be my niece. And for that, I'll never forgive you," Dorian said just before she walked away.

"Blair, I-" Kevin started.

"No, I don't want to hear it. If you want to see Kelly, now is the only chance you'll ever get. Go in there. Bring Kelly back."

Kevin nodded, "thank you."

He went into Kelly's room as Blair turned around and faced the now closed door.

"Don't thank me just yet."

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After Kevin closed the door, he took a deep breath and slowly turned around. He had no idea what to expect, and the sight of Kelly made his heart drop. Kelly was hooked up on so many machines, and as Kevin saw her struggle with each breath she took, he couldn't breathe; he got light-headed. He had to grab something to hold him up, or he would have collapsed on the floor. After he regained his posture, he slowly walked up to Kelly's bed. He still couldn't look at her face; instead, he scanned her covered body slowly. He noticed her legs were a lot bigger than they usually were; he realized they were casts, preventing her legs from getting more damages and yet healing her legs. He reached to touch them but pulled back at last minute in fear of causing her more pain than she should have to experience. He made a mental note to himself to yell at Duke for not protecting her whole body, which made him have a flashback to the fateful night when he had found Duke on top of his ex-fiancé only a mere three hours ago. He quickly shook his head and immediately forgot about it. He trailed his eyes to her face, and his mouth slightly opened like he was shocked. Kelly's face had cuts all over, but one was the most severe. It was right under her right eye. He grabbed a near-by chair that was once occupied by Dorian and sat on it. He reached for Kelly's hair and gently stroked it like he was afraid that he could hurt her. As mad and hurt as he was when he found out about Duke and Kelly, he could not stop caring for both of them. Knowing that he could have lost one or even both of them was too much for him to handle. He wished he could turn back time and change all of the events that lead up to this very moment, just to make things better. Maybe it would have ended up in a similar situation than the actual situation. Who really knows?

But he knew...he knew he could not forgive either one of them. The betrayal was too much.

He stopped stroking Kelly; he tore his eyes away from her hair and looked back at her face. A pair of blue eyes looked back at him.

"Kelly?" Kevin asked in astonishment.

"Hey."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like hell," Kelly replied, clenching her teeth together. She tried to pull herself up in a sitting position, but she couldn't do it. She let out a big growl of frustration.

"I'm going to get Doctor Truman."

"No Kevin, I'm fine. I just want to get out of here."

Kevin called for a nurse to come by to check on Kelly. The nurse came and asked Kevin to leave, which Kevin gladly complied despite Kelly's protests.

After he stepped out of the room, he let out a big breath, not realizing that he was holding it in for a long time. He leaned back on the wall and lightly tapped his head against it repeatedly. The nurse came out, informed him that Spencer will be there in a moment. Kevin nodded and went back in.

"Kevin," Kelly started, "what happened? Why am I here?"

"You don't remember?"

"Does it look like I do?"

"Well, the paramedics found you-"

As Kevin kept on talking, Kelly tuned out and started having flashbacks of the night. She remembered Kevin rudely take the engagement ring off her finger after a really bad, heated argument; she remembered Duke consoling her once he found her crying her eyes out. She remembered Duke kissing her; she remembered Duke taking her clothes off. She remembered Duke bringing himself into her. She gasped in disgust.

"Oh my god..."

"-and then you ended up here."

"You know, don't you?"

Kevin got angry and started to walk back away from Kelly. Kelly quickly threw herself on him and sobbed in his arms.

"I didn't want it to be this way! You have to believe me!" she said in between gut-wenching sobs.

"How could you?" Kevin said as a couple of tears fell down from his eyes. He couldn't move at all; his legs wouldn't let him.

All of sudden, Kevin felt Kelly go limp. He had to hold her up to prevent her from falling down. He quickly looked up to the heart monitor and saw a small but perfectly straight line and a big flashing zero right next to it, and he heard the beeping noise that rang out loudly.

TBC...

* * *

You must love me so much for leaving this chapter like that..lol. Okay, please review! Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

I know it's been a really long time since I've updated this story. I apologize and hope you guys can stick around. I'm feeling kind of disappointed of how this chapter turned out; it's definitely not my best work. Okay, here's a new chapter! Please dont' forget to review!

* * *

Previously:

All of sudden, Kevin felt Kelly go limp. He had to hold her up to prevent her from falling down. He quickly looked up to the heart monitor and saw a small but perfectly straight line and a big flashing zero right next to it, and he heard the beeping noise that rang out loudly.

TBC...

Chapter Four

-OLTL-

Kevin stared at the monitor; he had no idea what to do. A million thoughts rushed through his mind. Should I call for a doctor? Should I try to save her? Should I just hold her and hope she will come back? He gently laid Kelly down on her bed. Then he backed away as if Kelly was a contagious disease. The wall stopped his path; he leaned back against it. All he could do was just stare at Kelly as she slipped away...possibly for good.

All of sudden, something just clicked in Kevin's mind. Kevin hurled to Kelly and began to shake her. He would do anything to bring her back. He knew they couldn't leave it like the way they were at that moment. They had to solve everything and move one with their lives, because, Kevin knew, there was no way they could still be together.

"Kelly! Come back!" Kevin said as he continued to shake her.

An orderly, holding his lunch, was walking by the ER when he heard the machine flatline continuely. He immediately dropped his food, which was a really bad tuna sandwich, to the floor; and he barged into the ER. He saw Kevin shaking Kelly and assumed the worst: he had thought Kevin triggered Kelly's heart into malfunction and was strangling her to death. He forcibly ripped Kevin off Kelly and harshly pushed him to the wall, causing Kevin to hit his head and quickly fall to the floor, losing consicious as the back of his head started to bleed profusely. The orderly then pressed the call button and went outside, screaming like a maniac for help and a doctor.

A bunch of nurses, along with Spencer, ran down the hall, almost tripping over supplies and gurneys that were in their way. A couple of nurses crashed into an incoming emergency gurney that had a person in a life-threatening injury on it. The rest of the running crowd finally made to Kelly's room. Spencer ordered half of the nurses to take care of Kevin and stitch him up while he and the other half worked together to revive Kelly. Spencer shouted out instructions as he was handed the defibrilliator. People gathered outside the room, curiously trying to get a glimpse of what was going on.

Viki, Clint, Dorian, Blair, and Adriana noticed how the crowd outside Kelly's room; they thought it was odd, so they broke through and ended up witnessing the scene. The nurses dragged Kevin out, and Viki gasped. People broke apart to give them access to another room, and Clint and Viki followed them.

"Clear!" Spencer shouted, and Kelly's body jumped as the defibrilliator jolted through her heart. The monotone beeping sound still rang out.

Dorian couldn't bear to watch, so she turned away. Sure, she was a doctor but she couldn't just watch her niece, who practically was like her daughter, suffer or...die. She could still hear everything Spencer was shouting out. Everytime Spencer had to shock Kelly, Blair cringed and looked away. Adriana could do nothing but look at what was unraveling with her mouth hanging down slightly. Worry crossed Spencer's face as he looked at the heartbeat machine.

-----------------------------------------------------

Kevin woke up while a nurse was stiching him up. He tried to get away from her, but the orderly held him down.

"Look, I have to go back to Kelly!" Kevin fought back.

"No," the orderly replied, "you're not. You tried to kill her..."

"What are you talking about? I was trying to bring her back!"

"By shaking her?" the orderly scoffed.

"Okay, I know that wasn't the smartest thing to do; but she was slipping away! I was just trying to get her to wake up!"

The orderly looked at Kevin in disbelief.

"You're good to go," the nurse said as she cleaned up the mess she made.

Kevin shrugged off the orderly's claws and saw Viki and Clint outside.

"Dad, Mom, how's Kelly?"

"We have no idea," Clint replied.

"But she'll be fine. She is in good hands," Viki reassured.

Another nurse walked up to Clint and whispered something in his ears. Clint's eyes perked up.

"He is?"

The nurse nodded, gave a small smile, and left.

"What was that?" Viki asked.

"Well, we better go to Duke's room."

"Why? Is he okay?"

"He..." Clint smiled for the very first time, "he just woke up."

---------------------------------------------------------

They were all in Duke's room and was about to go inside when a girl ran through the hallway, nearly bumping into Kevin, and ran out of sight. Then, a man appeared, out of breath. He asked where the girl went and Kevin absently pointed to the direction where she ran off. The man thanked him and left.

"Okay...that was weird."

But they all went into Duke's room, Viki and Clint wearing a huge smile. Kevin was skeptical at first, but it was Duke, his only child. Viki kissed Duke's forehead and had a brief conversation with him and also with Clint. Kevin couldn't say anything; he didn't want to be reminded of the betrayal.

"Dad...I'm so sorry," Duke coughed.

"We'll leave you two alone," Viki said as she tugged on Clint's arm.

They were about to leave when Spencer came in.

Kevin jumped all over him asking, "how's Kelly? Is she okay?"

Spencer took a while to gather up his voice.

"Kelly suffered pretty serious injuries, and she needed the surgery that I performed on Duke. I was planning on taking her to the OR. I tried all my best, but I'm saddened to say that it couldn't work. Kelly didn't make it."

Kevin felt all light-headed. First nearly Duke, now Kelly?

"She's..." Duke choked back his sobs, "she's dead?"

"Yes."

-OLTL-


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

-OLTL-

After informing them of the tragic news, Spencer left the Buchanans to grief for Kelly's death and closed the door to give them some privacy. He leaned against the door, smirking.

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Kevin stood there, stunned. _Kelly is dead...she's really dead._ Everything he did bad to Kelly came back to bite him in the ass. The only real moment that he had actually gave a thought about their relationship was just after she flat-lined. He realized that there were only this chance of working it out with the love of his life, if only he had given her the chance when she begged for it before she fell into Duke's arms.

"I want to see her body." Kevin stated.

"Kevin, you don't want to do that," Viki tried to persuade Kevin out while Clint just nodded his head, still dumbfounded about the news.

"I don't care. It's got to be a joke... Spencer is obviously lying."

"I don't think Doctor Spencer would just joke about it. He's a professional."

But Kevin refused to listen to Viki.

"Dad," Duke started out, trying to hold back his tears, "you really don't want to do that. Kelly is gone; it's just her body, nothing else. I think it's better if you just concentrate on the good memories; you know Kelly would want that."

Kevin knew Duke was absolutely right, but of course, he would never say it out loud. He tried to come up with an excuse to shoot down Duke's excellent reasoning; he couldn't come up with anything.

"What makes you think you know everything about Kelly?" Kevin changed the subject and started slowly walk up to his son, "all you did was lure her in when she was having a hard time and then screwed her!"

"Kevin!" Viki cried out. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "This is your son you're talking to!"

"No...he's not my son anymore. A real son doesn't mess with his father's fiancé! A real son would protect his mother-to-be from getting hurt, and obviously Duke isn't!"

"You don't mean that," Clint said in denial.

"As a matter of fact, I do. I meant everything I said. I have no children as of right now. And I won't be able to give Grandpa Asa a heir for Buchanan Enterprises," Kevin said as he walked to the door, opened it, and slammed it without ever looking back.

Kevin leaned back against the wall and let out a big sigh, "I've got to get out of Llanview now. It's poison." He regained his posture and quickly walked to the elevator, went down to the lobby, and then exited the hospital.

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Viki stopped by at Kevin's door. She knocked softly, and no one answered; she knocked loudly this time. Still no answer. She reached in for the doorknob to see if it was locked or not. It wasn't so she let herself in. She was in utter shock. She couldn't believe what she was seeing: an empty room.

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Before Viki came, Kevin was back in his room, packing up everything he owned. His clothes, electronics, everything. After fifteen minute which had felt way longer for Kevin, he buckled up his suitcases, lifted them up, and walked to the ajar door. He lightly dropped the suitcases and took a good look around his now empty room, touched his cut that was covered with bandages, and made sure he didn't leave behind anything important behind. He grabbed his suitcases and made his way to his car, loaded the suitcases into the trunk, and then got inside and started the car. He pulled out of his parking spot and headed out for the highway, not really knowing where to go.

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Viki started looking around for signs of Kevin's things, but she couldn't find anything. It was like no one lived there before. Something on the bed caught her attention; it was a letter. Emotions started taking Viki over as she trembled over to grab the letter. She was silently praying that this letter she was holding wasn't what she thought. A suicide letter. She held the letter in her hands as she contemplated on whether to open the letter or not. She decided to open it. She took in a deep breath and slowly opened it. The letter said:

_Mom, I knew you were going to try to find me after what I said at the __hospital. Please try to understand. This is very hard for me. I can't __even look at Duke without having a flashback of when I found him on top __of Kelly, naked. Who does that to his father? I'm sorry, but I am not __sorry for saying that about Duke. I want to thank you, Mom, for __everything. Thank you for lending me your shoulders when things got hard for me; thank you for helping me out and hearing me out. I couldn't ask for any better mother than you. _

_Dad, I know you're going to find out from Mom anyway. Please don't be mad. I know things aren't easy right now. I know that when you came here __from the UK, it was for Jessica...or Tess. Whoever she is now. But you __still had time to offer your ears and listen to my blabbing. Thanks for being there for me; I greatly appreciate it._

_Now, you're probably wondering what kind of letter this is. This is a __good-bye letter. I can't stay here anymore. This is also a official form of my resignation from BE. I need to do this alone. Please tell Natalie and Jessica that I'm sorry and that I love them._

_With utmost love,_

_Kevin_

Viki couldn't believe what she was reading. This was Kevin's real feelings...in his own handwriting. Viki knew Kevin was the guy who busted his guts, making sure he got everything he wanted. It did not sound like Kevin at all. But Kevin had changed. She knew it, but she didn't really realize how much...until now, the last minute.

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As Kevin passed a sign that said "You're leaving Llanview. Come back soon," he immediately started crying. Here he was, in his car, running away from his problems. He couldn't stop crying; it just came running right down harder and harder for every mile he passed ever since leaving. _Am I making a big mistake here?_

---------------------------------------------------------

Viki pulled her cell phone out of her purse and called Kevin. When she got his voicemail, she hung up and continued calling him many times. Worry and fear started getting bigger and bigger every time she called her son. She gave up and stared off into space.

---------------------------------------------------------

Kevin's tears blinded him so badly that he didn't see a car start swerving onto the lane that he was driving from the other direction and was about to hit him head-on.

---------------------------------------------------------

A running footsteps echoed throughout the hallway, and it snapped Viki out of her daze. She got up to go check out where it was coming from. But Clint suddenly appeared at the doorway, out of breath.

"It's Kevin!"

TBC...

-OLTL-


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

Running footsteps echoed throughout the hallway, and it snapped Viki out of her daze. She got up to go check out where it was coming from. But Clint suddenly appeared at the doorway, out of breath.

"It's Kevin!"

TBC...

Chapter Six

-OLTL-

Viki rushed with Clint back to Llanview Hospital. The Emergency room was chaotic; doctors and nurses running around, holding medical supplies and scanners and essential things. Clint quickly went up to the receptionist and immediately asked the lady where Kevin was without taking a breath. The lady absently pointed toward the same emergency room that Kelly and Duke was in, not realizing that she was pointing at tragedy for the Buchanan/Lord family.

As Viki and Clint got closer to the room where Kevin was in, Natalie and Jessica suddenly appeared, tear-streaked. Jessica mumbled something not understandable, and Natalie was just quiet, trying her hardest to stay strong and sane. Viki opened her arms, and Jessica collapsed into them and cried her eyes out.

"Jessie, what's the matter? Kevin's fine...he has to be," Viki said.

While Viki was comforting Jessica, Clint peered into the Emergency room. He saw Michael McBain take the bed sheet and placed it over a body; he saw Michael having a moment to himself and possibly preparing himself to inform the family of their loss. He felt sorry for that family and silently wished them well. He looked over to Viki, Jessica, and Natalie and saw Jessica crying uncontrollably and Natalie fighting back hers. Dread and fear overcame him when he saw Michael walking over to them.

Viki sat Jessica down into a chair and beckoned Natalie to come sit next to her. Natalie hugged her twin and broke down, knowing exactly what Michael was going to tell her parents. She knew because she and Jessica had witnessed everything. She just simply wished that she had given them some warning so they could be prepared, especially Viki with her heart condition.

Michael cleared his throat, "Mr. Buchanan, Mrs. Davidson, as you probably heard, Kevin was involved in a car accident. He had a concussion, and he was bleeding internally. We tried to get him to stabilize before rushing him into surgery to stop the bleeding." Michael's eyes began to water, and he took a deep breath and was about to wrap up his diagnosis when Natalie interrupted him.

"Kevin's dead," Natalie said as she felt Jessica recoil in her arms by the two harsh words she had just said.

Viki felt the floor sweep right off under her, and the next thing she knew, she was in Clint's arms and nearly laying across the floor.

"Oh no, not my baby!!" Viki cried out loud. As the reality of Kevin's death sunk in, Viki tried to deny it but seeing the way Jessica and Natalie were, she knew it was too good to be true. Kevin was really dead.

-----------------

Duke found himself staring at two coffins. One that held his father and the other of his best friend. People walked by, giving the Buchanans, the Lords, and the Cramers condolences and hugs; but Duke blocked them out. He didn't want to be comforted; he wanted someone to beat the hell out of him; he felt unworthy of living life without the two most important people in his life. He blamed himself. It was he who had started this whole commodity, and he hated himself for developing feelings for Kelly.

"If you can please sit down," the minister said louder to get everyone's attention, "and we'll start the ceremony. We're here to celebrate the lives of Kevin Riley Buchanan and Kelly Julia Cramer, the two people cherished and loved by others. They will be greatly missed. Dorian, would you like to say some words?"

Dorian nodded, and she wiped her face as she walked to the podium. She glanced at Kelly's casket and whispered, "oh Kelly..."

Then she looked at everyone and began her eulogy for Kelly.

Duke couldn't bear to hear about Kelly's life, knowing that he was responsible for ending it so prematurely. He tuned out and thought about their time together. He remembered Kelly's laughter, her smile, and that glint in her eyes when she was happy. He remembered the way she smelled, the way she ran with her ponytail swinging back and forth, and their long talks on the bench in the park after they were done running. He sure was going to miss her tight comfortable hugs; he was going to miss every single moment he had with her.

A nudge against his left arm brought him back to reality, and he looked at the person sitting next to him.

"It's your turn to speak," Jessica said as she sniffed back her tears.

"Oh," Duke stammered, "yeah. I'll - I'll..."

Duke stepped onto the podium floor and gazed upon Kevin and Kelly's casket. He set out his right hand and touched a lingering rub against Kevin's casket.

"Kevin and I didn't really have a good relationship throughout our lives," Duke spoke to the whole clan, "he wasn't around when I was a kid. I grew up thinking that he never gave a damn about me, only filling out his fatherly obligations through phone calls here and there. Nothing too serious. But I still loved him. So when I decided to come back to Llanview, I wanted to work on our relationship but it wasn't easy. I chose Kelly's side during the custody battle of baby Ace; I guess I did it because I was mad at him for not helping my mom raise me. But through time, I got to know my real father and see him for who he is...was. He was truly a kind man and had major flaws but only did it because he thought it was right at the time. It's my fault that they're not here with us; Kelly would be here right now if I got her away from that shack. Kevin would be here if he never found Kelly and me together under the rumble.

Duke sighed, "so many regrets here and there. I just only wish I spend more time being with him and know even more. But one thing I know for sure: I am proud to call him my father.

Duke turned once again to face his father's coffin, "I just wish you knew how much I love you." He reached out to touch Kevin's casket once again and stepped off the podium floor.

Viki made room for him to sit next to her and said, "he knows, sweetie, he knows" while comforting her grandson as he broke down in her arms.

---------------

Duke felt a nudge against his left elbow, so he woke up. He realized he was inside the hospital room, but he was more confused than ever. He spotted Viki gazing upon him, with a grin spread across her face.

"Oh I'm so happy you woke up," she said as she leaned in to plant a kiss on Duke's forehead.

"What's going on?" Duke asked Viki and saw Kevin sitting behind her with his right hand holding his forehead, "d-d-dad? y-you're alive?"

"Of course I'm alive," Kevin replied, "why?"

"But I was just at your funeral..."

"Oh," Viki interrupted, "honey, you slipped back into a coma after the surgery."

"Oh what a relief..." Duke wondered, "Where's Kelly? Is she okay?"

Viki and Kevin shared a look. Kevin nodded his head to indicate that he was going to be the one who tells his son.

"Ahem, Dr. Truman was just here. He informed us that..." Kevin drew up a big breath, "that Kelly didn't make it. She died, Duke."

"Oh..." Duke was shocked once again, "so that part was real..."

Kevin gave his son a sad smile, "at least she's in a better place now."

Duke slowly nodded, "yeah. But I'm glad you're okay. My umm...dreams... made me realize that we have to spend more time together and work on our relationship. Dad, I'm so so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. Please forgive me and help me make us right."

Kevin had tears in his eyes after listening to Duke, "yes, son, we will..."

FIN

-OLTL-

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well it's the end of the story. thanks for sticking around :) but if you want to continue this story in your way, just let me know before i give you the go ahead :) and that's a maybe


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